Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Cajun-seasoned shrimp tossed with pasta and a super light butter-lemon sauce. This is a quick and easy 20-minute Cajun shrimp pasta that you only need six ingredients to make. It’s a little spicy, smoky and so, so delicious. It should definitely be on your must-make weeknight dinner list.

If you’ve been following along for a while it’s no secret I’m a serious fan of simple pasta recipes. So much so, I once considered starting a pasta-only blog called “Hasta la Pasta” which makes absolutely no sense when translated, but I thought was cute and kitschy and, hey, it rhymes.

But this here blog, now in its 12th year (!), is more than enough work and so the other one will have to wait (forever, probably). So I’ll shall cut to the chase and tell you about today’s easy pasta recipe installment: It’s a six-ingredient, 20-minute Cajun shrimp pasta.

Like my ravioli with mushrooms and asparagus and Mediterranean pasta, it’s what some consider a “sauce-less” pasta although it’s a bit of a misnomer as there is a sauce – it’s just a very light one made with butter and lemon juice. I opted to make this without heavy cream so it’s not too heavy or rich.

And keeping it simple really lets the Cajun spice shine, which is basically the star of this pasta dish. It’s a Southern-style (specifically Louisiana-style) seasoning mix that’s a little spicy, smoky, savory and just all-around delicious.

20 minutes cook time, friends. That’s all the time you need to make this Cajun shrimp pasta. We can do this.

Ingredients

• Spaghetti or another long pasta shape like linguine, fettuccine, bucatini so use what you have.
• Large shrimp that have been peeled and deveined with the tails removed. I use thawed frozen shrimp to make it really easy.
• Cajun seasoning
• Unsalted butter
• Lemon juice
• Chopped chopped parsley

Different brands of Cajun seasoning will have different amounts of salt included. Mine had plenty, so I didn’t add any extra salt but have it on standby because you might want to add a few sprinkles depending on your tastes.

How to Make It

This is a speedy-quick recipe mostly because shrimp don’t need much time at all to cook. What you want to avoid is overcooking the shrimp while you wait for the pasta.

Get your pasta water going in a large pot and, once it starts boiling, drop the pasta in. Boil it according to the package instructions, which will take about 10 to 12 minutes. You can prepare the rest of the dish in the time it takes to cook the pasta.

Toss the shrimp with the seasoning. I think it’s easiest to place the shrimp in a bowl and then toss and stir them around with the seasoning until they are evenly coated.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the raw shrimp in an even layer and sauté them for about two minutes, flip them and cook them for another two minutes.

At this point, if your pasta is not al dente yet, take the cooked shrimp out of the hot pan and set them aside (turn the heat to low so the butter doesn’t brown or burn). When the pasta is ready, drain it and place it in the pan with the butter. Toss the cooked pasta around to coat it in the butter, add the lemon juice, parsley, and shrimp. Toss again and serve. Add a little more chopped parsley for garnish if you like.

Qs & As

Make this easy Cajun shrimp pasta recipe for dinner this week – you won’t regret it.

Happy Cooking,

More Quick & Easy Pasta Dinners

• Bucatini all’Amatriciana
• Shrimp Penne with Vodka Sauce
• Sun-Dried Tomato Spaghetti with Bacon
• Fettuccine Alfredo

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Post updated from the archives. First published in May 2020.